Water leakage is a frustrating issue most people will want to avoid. It can cause a range of issues, from mold growth to floor warping.
Depending on the type of leak, you may also end up paying a lot more on your water bills. Therefore, when you spot water leakage in your Newcastle, OK, home, you’ll want to get to the root of it as quickly as possible.
In this post, the leading provider of 24-hour emergency plumbing services in Newcastle, OK, covers how to stop water leakage.
Classifying the Various Types of Water Leakage in a Newcastle, OK, Home
The first thing you should do when you’re thinking of how to fix a water leakage is to determine the severity of the leak.
Mild Water Leaks
These types of leaks are inconvenient but will not cause extensive damage to your home or affect your water usage. An example of such a leak is a misdirected sprinkler outside or a leaky toilet tank. The worst they can do is cause water wastage but you’ll have to fix them at some point.
Moderate Water Leaks
Moderate water leakages are those leaks that are not severe right now but will surely worsen and cause significant damages over time. Leaky faucets, leaky pipes, drips from appliances, and leaks under concrete slabs or behind walls are good examples. They almost always get worse the longer you wait.
Severe Water Leaks
This is the scariest type of water leak to deal with. These types of leaks can flood your Newcastle, OK, home quickly, leaving you in need of water damage remediation. They often occur after a major supply pipe bursts within your property.
Dealing with the Various Types of Water Leakage
By this point, you should know the severity of the water leakage you’re dealing with. We’ll look at the various ways to stop each one.
How to Stop Water Leakage: Mild Leaks
Most mild leaks can be fixed with some DIY skills. If you have a misdirected sprinkler, you can manually move the sprinkler head back into position (depending on the type). If you have a leaky tank bowl, replacing the tank-to-bowl gasket often fixes the issue.
If you can’t fix them on your own, be sure to talk about them when you have a plumber around next.
How to Stop Water Leakage: Moderate Water Leaks
The right approach to stopping the water leakage depends on its location. You can fix leaky faucets by disassembling the faucet and replacing washers and O-rings. However, this depends on the type of faucet you have. Some designs are hard to take apart and reassemble.
If you have a leaky pipe or a drip along the supply line to an appliance, there are a few options you can try. Regardless of the option you choose, it’s always best to turn off the water supply first before you get started!
Use Pipe Clamps
One temporary way to deal with burst pipes is to cover up the leak with a pipe leak repair clamp. These clamps feature a rubber pad inside. When you attach a clamp to the pipe, the rubber will seal the pipe material. You can’t go wrong with this approach if you want to stop water leakage quickly.
These clamps are affordable. And depending on the quality of the option you’ve chosen, the clamp can last months before they need replacing. So, they are an excellent choice if you want to temporarily stop a leak until you’re ready to call in a plumber.
Use a Pipe Sleeve
A pipe sleeve does the same thing as a pipe clamp, but it’s only an option for temporarily stopping water leakage in a PVC pipe. Therefore, it’s a good choice for fixing leakage in above-ground sections of sewer pipes. Installing the sleeve on the leaky pipe is straightforward as long as you can access the leaky section of the pipe.
Wrap the rubber portion of the pipe sleeve around the damaged section of the drainpipe and then use a screwdriver to tighten the clamping mechanism in position. Be careful to avoid overtightening the clamp and putting even more pressure on the damaged section.
Apply Epoxy Putty
Epoxy putty works well when you want to temporarily stop the leaks around a copper or galvanized steel pipe. It’s not a good option for plastic pipes like PEX or PVC. To apply the epoxy, first wipe down the pipe to ensure it’s not wet. Next, prepare the epoxy according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Apply the epoxy liberally around the area and give it an hour to dry before you open the supply to the pipe again.
Use Tape
Different types of tapes can help stop small to moderate leaks in pipes. You’ve probably seen that highly satisfying video on social media of people slapping leaks shut with duct tape. You can replicate it in your home if you have moderate leaks along a pipe.
Electrical tape and Teflon tape can also work if you don’t have duct tape.
Before applying the tape, ensure the area you’re taping up is dry to create a good seal. Keep in mind that the tape won’t do much for large leaks.
How to Stop Water Leakage: Severe Water Leaks
If you have water gushing out a pipe and flooding your Newcastle, OK, home, there’s really only one thing you can do: shut down the water supply.
Reach for the supply mains and turn the valve to shut. Once that is done, you can call an experienced plumbing company to fix the damage and restore the water flow across your property.
Keep in mind that any leaks you can’t really fix temporarily (such as slab leaks) also fit in this category.
Work with the Leading Plumbers in Newcastle, OK
Do you want to learn more about how to stop water leakage? Are you looking for a plumbing company you can trust for fast and efficient water leak detection and repair?
Call Champion Plumbing in Newcastle, OK, today at (405) 889-1318 to schedule an emergency plumbing service.
